Record card feed device



United States if Kishore Ti lliesni Inventor Detroit, Michigan Appl. No. 768,422 Filed Oct. 17,1963 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 Assignee Burroughs Corporation Detroit, h iichigan a corporation of Michigan RECORD CARD FEED DEVlCtE 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

m1 e s ments Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter AHmvzeys-Paul \M Fish and Edwin W. Uren ABSTRACT: The disclosure embodies a device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack of such cards. The card stack is supported on a platform comprising a plate and the upper end of an upright solenoid clapper which is operable about a fulcrum to push the bottom card to a restriction. An abutment carried by the clapper projects slightly above the upper end of the clapper to engage the rear edge of the bottom card. The clapper is biased to a retracted position and is solenoid activated whereupon the bottom card of a stack is pushed to a restriction defined by an upper guide and a lower constantly driven feed roller which has a card displsceable resilient tire.

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 Sheet L of 4 INVENTOR. K/SHORE T DESAI.

ATTORNEY:

Patented Dec. 1, 1970 A 3,544,100

Sheet Q of 4 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 Sheet RECORD CARD FEED DEVICE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention resides in the provision of a card pushing stack supporter or clapper at the rear ofthe stack and a yieldable card restriction at the front of the stack presenting a bight to receive a card from the pusher. A stack restraining structure and the card restricting means together restrain forward movement of cards except the bottom card of the stack.

The object of the invention is to provide a low cost yet efficient device for feeding cards singly from the bottom of a stack of cards.

In the drawings: I

FIG. I is a side view partly broken away of a card stack feed device embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view shown partly in elevation, taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view partly in elevation and taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view partly in elevation, taken along the line 7-7 ofFlG. 3; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with parts broken away and in section.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the device has a supporting structure comprising opposite side plates 10 and 12 rigidly connected together by cross members or bars 14 and 16. A card stack supporting plate 18 is rigidly mounted on the cross member 14 and on oppositely disposed mounting blocks 20 which are rigidly secured to the side plates 10 and 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stack supporting plate 20 is preferably inclined downwardly and forwardly at an acute angle to the horizontal.

The card stack supporting plate 20 provides the bottom ofa card stack hopper having a front retainer of wire fabrication in the form of U-shaped members including two laterally spaced apart front members 24. Similar retainers 26 of wire U-shaped fabrication provide the sides of a card stack hopper. At their lower ends, the retainers 24 are welded to plates 28 which are rigidly secured to the cross member 16 by screws 30. Similarly, the side members 26 of the hopper have their lower ends welded to plates 32 which are rigidly secured to the upright side plates 10 and 12 such as by screws 34.

A driven shaft 36 is journaled in the opposite side plates 10 and 12 and is disposed below and near the lower forward edge of the hopper bottom plate 18. Affixed onto the shaft 36 there is a pair of card feed rollers 38 which are spaced apart equally from a point midway of the width of the hopper, as shown in FIG. 2. In operation, the driven shaft 36 and, therefore, the rollers 38 are constantly driven by an electric motor 40 through suitable drive mechanisms, such as the pulleys 42 and 44 and the driving belt 46.

The rollers 38 are provided with tires 48, preferably made of a resilient rubber or other suitable material which will yield to pressure. In the supporting plate 18, clearance openings 50 are provided for the rollers 38 which extend upwardly above the plate 18. Between the rollers 38, the supporting plate 18 is formed with an upwardly directed offset portion 52 which extends from the front to the rear of the plate 18 and presents a card slideway or ridge midway between the side retainers 26 of the hopper. The cards drape over the ridge which functions to overcome card warpage so as to avoid card jams. The upper surface of the slideway 52 is in a plane which is substantially tangent to the peripheries of the roller tires 48. Mounted on the cross member 16 there is a pair of upper card restricting members 54 which are located respectively over the rollers 38 and extend downwardly substantially to the peripheries of the tires 48, as shown in FIG. 4. At their lower ends, each of the members 54 has a forwardly extending pressure pad 56 which is substantially tangent to the periphery of its respective tire 48, as shown for example, in FIG. 4. Intermediate the members 54, a similar member 58 is provided which overlies the offset portion 52 adjacent the forward end thereof, the member 58 also being mounted on the cross member 16. Instead of a pressure pad, the member 58 is provided with a downwardly directed knife edge 60 which is just slightly spaced above the upper surface of the offset 52. The intermediate member 58 provides a restriction of a width greater than the thickness of a card, but less than the thickness of two cards and thus also functions to prevent the feeding of two cards at a time. The pressure members 54 are spaced from their respective rollers a distance less than the thickness of a card. In order to enhance the gripping action of the feed rollers 38, the pressure members 54 are arranged such that the junctions of the pressure pads 56 with the vertical portions thereof are positioned slightly rearwardly of a plane 57 axially of the rollers 38 and normal to the hopper plate 18, as shown in FIG. 4.

The cards are fed singly from the bottom of the stack by a pusher 62 which, in the present device, is the clapper ofa pair of laterally positioned solenoids 64. As shown, the solenoids 64 are mounted below the card stack hopper on the cross member 14 by means of a bracket 66. The clapper 62 is fulcrumed at its lower end on the bracket 66 by means of a flexure or leaf spring 68, the clapper extending upright and having its free upper end 70 substantially in the plane of the slideway 52. That is, the stack is partially supported by the upper edge of the clapper 62, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The clapper 62 extends between a rearwardly positioned stop member 70 and a forwardly positioned stop member 72 and normally the clapper is biased against the stop member 70 by the flexure 68. Carried by the clapper 62 at its upper end there is an abutment 74 to engage the rear edge of the bottom card, the abutment extending above the upper end of the clapper 62 a distance slightly less than the thickness of a card. It will thus be seen that each time the solenoids 64 are pulsed, the clapper 62 is displaced and pushes the bottom card forward. When this occurs, the leading edge of the card is fed into the bight between the resilient roller tires 48 and their respective pressure pads 56 whereupon the card is fed from the stack by the constantly driven rollers 38. t

I claim:

1. A device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack of cards comprising a plate constituting in part a platform to support a stack of record cards, said plate having a forward edge and rearward edge with respect to the direction of card feed, a pivoted upright clapper having an upper edge forming a rearward portion of said platform, means biasing said clapper rearwardly to a retracted position supporting the stack, means operable to overcome said biasing means and activate said clapper forwardly, card stack restraining means forwardly of said clapper and disposed to prevent forward movement of the cards above the lowermost card, and a card abutment carried by said clapper above the upper end thereof a distance less than the thickness of a card to engage and push the lowermost card forwardly by and upon activation of said clapper by said operable means.

2. A device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack of record cards, as defined by claim 1, including restricting means below said restraining means forming a card restricting passage.

3. A device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack as defined by claim 2 wherein said restricting means includes a stationary guide member and a yieldable sheet feed roller.

4. A device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack as defined by claim 3 wherein said feed roller includes a resilient tire.

5. A device for feeding record cards singly from the bottom of a stack as defined by claim 3 where said guide member is disposed above said plate and said roller is yieldable and 

